Fantasy Fishing: Pick the deciders

Written by

Pete Robbins

Since it first appeared on the Bassmaster schedule in the late 1990s, Lake Champlain has become one of the most eagerly anticipated and also one of the most feared tournament venues. It’s anticipated because everyone knows they’re going to catch ‘em and feared because you know that a difference of 4 ounces per fish can result in a few dozen points in the standings.

There have been times when it was critical to make the run to Ticonderoga to fish for heavier than average largemouths. That came with its own set of challenges – including big waves and the chance of breaking down with no way to get back. Last year, Kyoya Fujita won with smallmouth. Even with the recent paradigm shift, it’s not simply a matter of choosing between scoping and hoping. There’s always a chance to win with green fish and heavy string in the grass.

So, who do you pick? My choices are guys who can make the right decision for their particular skill set and the circumstances that’ll confront them. That might mean offshore bronze or shallow water largemouth. It might mean a combination of the two. There’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach to the sixth Great Lake, and I’m banking on anglers who aren’t paralyzed by that fact. Here are my choices:

BUCKET A: PRZEKURAT

MY DECIDER-IN-CHIEF: With all of the talk about this year’s young guns, some of us have forgotten about Jay Przekurat, who at 25 is still younger than many of them. He’s both seasoned and hungry, in 7th in the AOY race, with a 5th place finish at Champlain last year under his belt. I’m expecting so much out of him that I’m also using him in Drain the Lake rather than saving him for the St. Lawrence, where he has an even more impressive history.

SOLID BACKUP: Patrick Walters hasn’t quite lived up to his preseason expectations, but he’s still well within the Classic cut. The north wasn’t his jam early in his career, but he seems to have figured it out, not only with the St. Lawrence win last year, but also with two consecutive 7th place finishes at Champlain.

BUCKET B: COX

MY DECIDER-IN-CHIEF: There’s one guy in the field who doesn’t have forward-facing sonar, so the decision for John Cox as to what to do will likely be easy, and he does the shallow water game better than just about anyone. He has loads of experience at Champlain over multiple tours and will do his thing – likely with a Berkley General.

SOLID BACKUP: If you’re afraid of the largemouth bite fizzling, go with last year’s champion, Kyoya Fujita, who likely has no reason to deviate from the bronze fish that propelled him to the win.

BUCKET C: SCHMITT

MY DECIDER-IN-CHIEF: Like Cox, Bryan Schmitt has a long history of success at Lake Champlain, including an Elite Series win in 2021. He’s a threat anytime there’s grass, but now that he has enough electronics to power the Space Shuttle, he might find a way to win with brown fish, too.

SOLID BACKUP: Greg Hackney is likely just outside the cut for the 2025 Classic and needs a top finish to ease his path through the St. Lawrence. He’s won an Elite event at Cayuga, and while his Bassmaster results at Champlain are mixed, a motivated Hackney could be a bargain in Bucket C.

BUCKET D: CHRISTIE

MY DECIDER-IN-CHIEF: For a year when youth has been the main story, I’m bucking that trend (perhaps unwisely) with multiple anglers over 40, including 2022 Classic champ Jason Christie. He’s suffered through three straight poor Elite finishes and needs to get back on track. In three Elite events on Champlain he’s been 19th, 37th and 34th and amongst the 50+ (or even 40+) year old anglers, he’s one of the best with the scope.

SOLID BACKUP: Seth Feider made his name on Lake Minnetonka, another multi-species fishery with great grass flipping. He’s finished 4th twice in Elite Series competition on Champlain and 2nd once. Was last year’s 67th place result an aberration or a trend?

BUCKET E: MARTIN

MY DECIDER-IN-CHIEF: Like Christie, Scott Martin is the perfect mix of old school and modern technology. He likely has more experience fishing grass than 90% of the field and isn’t afraid to employ FFS both deep and shallow (look at his Okeechobee win earlier this year). He’s earned multiple FLW victories on Champlain and has already qualified for the Classic, but seeing him in the bottom 10 in AOY is jarring. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking a calculated risk.

SOLID BACKUP: Mike Iaconelli’s struggles since returning to the Elites remain a mystery, and maybe righting the ship is a matter of returning to the lake where he earned his first victory as a pro, all the way back in 1999.